Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
[DESCRIPTION]
[Invention Title]
AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING
THE SAME
[Technical Field]
The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating article and a method
of
manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an aerosol-generating
article,
which is used together with an aerosol generation device, and a method of
manufacturing the same that are capable of simultaneously improving
satisfaction
with a tobacco smoke taste and allowing the aerosol-generating article to be
manufactured at low cost.
[Background Art]
In recent years, demand for alternative articles that overcome the
disadvantages of traditional cigarettes has increased. For example, demand for
devices and articles that generate an aerosol through heating instead of
generating an
aerosol through combustion has increased. Accordingly, active research has
been
carried out on heating-type aerosol-generating articles or heating-type
aerosol
generation devices.
Most of the heating-type aerosol-generating articles are manufactured based
on a reconstituted tobacco sheet (e.g., a sheet made of reconstituted tobacco
leaves).
However, the high manufacturing costs of the reconstituted tobacco sheet serve
as
the main cause of an increase in the unit price of the aerosol-generating
article.
Further, during manufacture of the reconstituted tobacco sheet, supplementary
materials such as pulp and guar gum are essentially added, and such
supplementary
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materials may reduce the inherent taste of tobacco and cause an off-taste and
thus
deteriorate a user's satisfaction with a tobacco smoke taste.
[Disclosure]
[Technical Problem]
Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to providing an
aerosol-generating article and a method of manufacturing the same capable of
simultaneously improving satisfaction with a tobacco smoke taste and allowing
the
aerosol-generating article to be manufactured at low cost.
Objectives of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned
objectives, and other unmentioned objectives should be clearly understood by
those
of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the
description below.
[Technical Solution]
An aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure, which is an article inserted into an aerosol generation device to
generate
an aerosol, includes an aerosol-forming substrate portion which includes
shredded
tobacco leaves and is configured to form an aerosol when electrically heated
by the
aerosol generation device and a mouthpiece portion which is disposed
downstream of
the aerosol-forming substrate portion to form a downstream end of the aerosol-
generating article.
In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming substrate portion may not include
a tobacco material other than the shredded tobacco leaves.
In some embodiments, a cutting width of the shredded tobacco leaves may be
in a range of 1.0 mm to 1.4 mm.
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In some embodiments, the content of the shredded tobacco leaves included in
the aerosol-forming substrate portion may be in a range of 150 mg to 200 mg.
In some embodiments, the shredded tobacco leaves may be manufactured
through a manufacturing process including a flavoring process, a moisturizer
may be
added during the flavoring process, and a weight ratio of glycerin and
propylene
glycol included in the moisturizer may be in a range of I:I to 8:2.
In some embodiments, the content of moisture in the shredded tobacco leaves
may be in a range of 12?/a to 17% of the total weight of the shredded tobacco
leaves.
In some embodiments, a resistance to draw of the mouthpiece portion may be
in a range of 90 mm WG to 140 mm WG.
A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating article according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure, which is a method of manufacturing an
article inserted into an aerosol generation device to generate an aerosol,
includes
processing raw tobacco leaves to manufacture shredded tobacco leaves, using
the
manufactured shredded tobacco leaves to form an aerosol-forming substrate
portion,
and combining the formed aerosol-forming substrate portion and a mouthpiece
portion.
[Advantageous Effects]
According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an electric
heating-type aerosol-generating article can be manufactured by utilizing
shredded
tobacco leaves instead of a reconstituted tobacco sheet. Since a manufacturing
cost
of the shredded tobacco leaves is much cheaper than a manufacturing cost of
the
reconstituted tobacco sheet, the price competitiveness of the aerosol-
generating
article can be significantly improved.
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Also, by utilizing the shredded tobacco leaves instead of the reconstituted
tobacco sheet, an off-taste can be reduced and the original taste of the
tobacco leaves
can be delivered to a user during smoking. Accordingly, the user's
satisfaction with
a tobacco smoke taste can be significantly improved.
Also, during manufacture of the shredded tobacco leaves, since raw tobacco
leaves are cut at a suitable cutting width (e.g., about 1.2 mm), a phenomenon
in
which the shredded tobacco leaves stick out from an end can be reduced (that
is,
workability can be improved) during manufacture of the aerosol-generating
article,
and vapor production can be enhanced.
Also, by adding the shredded tobacco leaves at a suitable content (e.g., about
170 mg), the phenomenon in which the shredded tobacco leaves stick out from an
end can be reduced during manufacture of the aerosol-generating article, and
the
price competitiveness and tobacco taste of the aerosol-generating article can
be
improved.
Also, during manufacture of the shredded tobacco leaves, by adding glycerin
and propylene glycol at a suitable ratio (e.g., about 7:3), vapor production
of the
aerosol-generating article can be enhanced.
Also, during manufacture of the shredded tobacco leaves, by suitably
controlling the content of moisture in the shredded tobacco leaves (e.g., to
about
14.5% of the total weight of the shredded tobacco leaves), vapor production of
the
aerosol-generating article can be enhanced, and workability of manufacturing
the
aerosol-generating article can be improved.
Also, by adding a moisturizer at a suitable amount (e.g., about 3% of the
total
weight of the shredded tobacco) during a second flavoring process of a process
of
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manufacturing the shredded tobacco leaves, the vapor production of the aerosol-
generating article can be further enhanced, and an off-taste can be reduced.
The advantageous effects according to the technical spirit of the present
disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned advantageous effects, and
other
unmentioned advantageous effects should be clearly understood by those of
ordinary
skill in the art from the description below.
[Description of Drawings]
FIGS. I to 3 illustrate various types of aerosol generation devices to which
an aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure is applicable.
FIG. 4 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating an
aerosol-generating article according to a first embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 5 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating an
aerosol-generating article according to a second embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating an
aerosol-generating article according to a third embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 7 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating an
aerosol-generating article according to a fourth embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIGS. 8 and 9 are exemplary flowcharts illustrating a method of
manufacturing an aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of
the
present disclosure.
FIG. 10 is an exemplary view for additionally describing cutting step S27 of
FIG. 9.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
FIG. 11 illustrates a result of sensory evaluation of changes in vapor
production according to a cutting width of shredded tobacco leaves.
FIG. 12 illustrates a result of sensory evaluation of changes in a tobacco
taste
and vapor production according to the content of the shredded tobacco leaves.
FIG. 13 illustrates a result of sensory evaluation of changes in vapor
production according to a ratio of glycerin and propylene glycol.
FIG. 14 illustrates a result of sensory evaluation of changes in vapor
production according to the content of moisture in the shredded tobacco
leaves.
FIG. 15 illustrates a comprehensive result of sensory evaluation of aerosol-
generating articles according to examples.
[Modes of the Invention]
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages
and
features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving thc same should
become
clear with embodiments described in detail below with reference to the
accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure
is
not limited to the following embodiments and may be implemented in various
different forms. The embodiments make the technical spirit of the present
disclosure complete and are provided to completely inform those of ordinary
skill in
the art to which the present disclosure pertains of the scope of the present
disclosure.
The technical spirit of the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of
the
In assigning reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should he
noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as
much
as possible even when the components are illustrated in different drawings.
Also, in
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describing the present disclosure, when detailed description of a known
related
configuration or function is deemed as haying the possibility of obscuring the
gist of
the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms
used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary
skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms defined in
commonly
used dictionaries should not be construed in an idealized or overly formal
sense
unless expressly so defined herein. Terms used herein are for describing the
embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the
following
embodiments, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the
context
clearly indicates otherwise.
Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first,
second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. Such terms are only used for
distinguishing
one component from another component, and the essence, order, sequence, or the
like of the corresponding component is not limited by the terms. In a case in
which
a certain component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "linked"
to
another component, it should be understood that, although the component may be
directly connected or linked to the other component, still another component
may
also be "connected," "coupled," or "linked" between the two components.
The terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" used herein do not preclude the
presence or addition of one or more components, steps, operations, and/or
devices
other than those mentioned.
First, some terms used in the following embodiments will be clarified.
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In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" may refer to a
material capable of forming an aerosol. The aerosol may include a volatile
compound. The aerosol-forming substrate may be a solid or liquid.
For example, a solid aerosol-forming substrate may include a solid material
based on tobacco raw materials, such as shredded tobacco leaves and
reconstituted
tobacco (e.g., reconstituted tobacco leaves), and a liquid aerosol-forming
substrate
may include a liquid composition based on tobacco materials, tobacco extracts,
and/or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure
is not
limited to the above-listed examples.
As a more specific example, the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may include
at least one of propylene glycol (PG) and glycerin (GLY) and may further
include at
least one of ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol,
triethylene glycol,
tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. As another example, the aerosol-
forming
substrate may further include at least one of a tobacco material, moisture,
and a
flavoring material. As still another example, the aerosol-forming substrate
may
further include various additives such as cinnamon and capsaicin. The aerosol-
forming substrate may not only include a liquid material with high fluidity
but also
include a material in the form of a gel or solid. In this way, as the
components
constituting the aerosol-forming substrate, various materials may be selected
according to embodiments, and composition ratios thereof may also vary
according
to embodiments_ In the following description, "liquid" may be understood as
referring to the liquid aerosol-forming substrate.
In the following embodiments, "aerosol generation device" may refer to a
device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol-foiming substrate in order
to
generate an aerosol that can be inhaled directly into the user's lungs through
the
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user's mouth. Some examples of the aerosol generation device will be described
below with reference to FIGS. I to 3. However, the examples of the aerosol
generation device may further include various other kinds of aerosol
generation
devices, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the devices
according to FIGS. 1 to 3.
In the following embodiments, "aerosol-generating article" may refer to an
article capable of generating an aerosol. The aerosol-generating article may
include
an aerosol-forming substrate. For example, the aerosol-generating article may
be a
cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such an
example.
In the following embodiments, "puff' refers to inhalation by a user, and the
inhalation may refer to a situation in which a user draws smoke into his or
her oral
cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs through the mouth or nose.
In the following embodiments, "upstream" or "upstream direction" may refer
to a direction moving away from an oral region of a user, and "downstream" or
"downstream direction" may refer to a direction approaching the oral region of
the
user. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" may be used to describe relative
positions of components constituting a smoking article. For example, in an
aerosol-
generating article 100 illustrated in FIG. 4, a filter portion 120 is disposed
downstream or in a downstream direction of an aerosol-forming substrate
portion
110, and the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 is disposed upstream or in
an
upstream direction of the filter portion 120.
In the following embodiments, "length direction" refers to a longitudinal
direction of an aerosol-generating article, and "diameter direction" refers to
a
transverse direction of the aerosol-generating article. That is, "diameter
direction"
refers to a direction perpendicular to "length direction."
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Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described
in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate various types of aerosol generation devices 1000 to
which an aerosol-generating article 2000 according to some embodiments of the
present disclosure is applicable. In particular, FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate a
state in
which the aerosol-generating article 2000 is inserted into the aerosol
generation
device 1000.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the aerosol generation device 1000 may include a
battery 1100, a controller 1200. and a heater 1300. In some embodiments. as
illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the aerosol generation device 1000 may further
include a
vaporizer 1400. Also, the aerosol-generating article 2000 may be inserted into
a
space inside the aerosol generation device 1000.
However, in the aerosol
generation devices 1000 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, only the components
relating to
the present embodiment are illustrated, Therefore, those of ordinary skill in
the art
relating to the present embodiment should understand that the aerosol
generation
devices 1000 may further include general-purpose components other than the
components illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.
In FIG. 1, the battery 1100, the controller 1200, and the heater 1300 are
illustrated as being arranged in a row. Also, in FIG. 2, the battery 1100, the
controller 1200, the vaporizer 1400, and the heater 1300 are illustrated as
being
arranged in a row. In addition, in FIG. 3, the vaporizer 1400 and the heater
1300
are illustrated as being arranged in parallel. However, an internal structure
of the
aerosol generation device 1000 is not limited to those illustrated in FIGS. 1
to 3. In
other words, the arrangement of the battery 1100, the controller 1200, the
heater
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
1300, and the vaporizer 1400 may be changed according to the design of the
aerosol
generation device 1000.
When the aerosol-generating article 2000 is inserted into the aerosol
generation device 1000, the aerosol generation device 1000 may operate the
heater
1300 and/or vaporizer 1400 to generate an aerosol. For example, the aerosol-
generating article 2000 may generate an aerosol when heated by the heater
1300.
The aerosol generated due to the heater 1300 and/or vaporizer 1400 may pass
through the aerosol-generating article 2000 and be inhaled through an oral
region of
a user.
The battery 1100 may supply power used to operate the aerosol generation
device 1000. For example, the battery 1100 may supply power to allow the
heater
1300 or vaporizer 1400 to be heated and supply power required for operation of
the
controller 1200. Also, the battery 1100 may supply power required for
operation of
a display, a sensor, a motor, and the like installed in the aerosol generation
device
1000.
Next, the controller 1200 may control the overall operation of the aerosol
generation device 1000. Specifically, the controller 1200 may not only control
operation of the battery 1100, the heater 1300, and the vaporizer 1400 but
also
control operation of other components included in the aerosol generation
device
1000. Also, the controller 1200 may check the state of each component of the
aerosol generation device 1000 and determine whether the aerosol generation
device
1000 is in an operable state.
The controller 1200 may include at least one processor. The processor may
be implemented with an array of a plurality of logic gates or implemented with
a
combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory which stores a
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program that may be executed by the microprocessor. Also, those of ordinary
skill
in the art to which the present embodiment pertains should understand that the
controller 1200 may also be implemented with other forms of hardware.
In some embodiments, the controller 1200 may recognize the type of
substrate of the aerosol-generating article 2000. Specifically, the controller
1200
may recognize whether an aerosol-forming substrate included in the aerosol-
generating article 2000 is a reconstituted sheet type or a shredded tobacco
leaf type.
For example, the controller 1200 may recognize the substrate type through an
identification element attached to the aerosol-generating article 2000 (e.g,.,
an
aluminum foil attached to an upstream end of the aerosol-generating article
2000) or
may recognize the substrate type on the basis of a user's input (e.g., button
selection).
However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples.
The
controller 1200 may control the heater 1300 on the basis of the result of
recognition.
Specifically, in a case in which the substrate type is the reconstituted sheet
type, the
controller 1200 may operate the heater 1300 on the basis of a first
temperature
profile that is suitable for a reconstituted sheet, and in a case in which the
substrate
type is the shredded tobacco leaf type, the controller 1200 may operate the
heater
1300 on the basis of a second temperature profile that is suitable for
shredded
tobacco leaves. In this way, an optimal tobacco smoke taste may be delivered
to the
user according to the substrate type of the aerosol-generating article 2000.
Next, the heater 1300 may be heated by power supplied from the battery 1100.
For example, when the aerosol-generating article 2000 is inserted into the
aerosol
generation device 1000, the aerosol generation device 1000 may operate the
heater
1300 to heat the aerosol-generating article 2000. The heater 1300 may be
disposed
inside or outside the aerosol-generating article. Therefore, the heated heater
1300
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
may increase the temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate in the aerosol-
generating article 2000.
The heater 1300 may be an electrically resistive heater. For example, an
electrically conductive track may be included in the heater 1300, and the
heater 1300
may be heated as current flows in the electrically conductive track. However,
the
heater 1300 is not limited to the above-described example, and any other
heater may
be used without limitation as long as the heater can be heated to a target
temperature.
Here, the target temperature may be preset in the aerosol generation device
1000
(e.g., temperature profiles may be pre-stored therein) or may be set to a
desired
temperature by the user.
Meanwhile, as another example, the heater 1300 may be an induction heating
type heater. Specifically, the heater 1300 may include an electrically
conductive
cod for heating the aerosol-generating article 2000 using an induction heating
method, and the aerosol-generating article 2000 may include a susceptor
material
that can be heated by the induction heating type heater. Alternatively, the
heater
1300 may be made of an assembly including an electrically conductive coil and
a
susceptor, and the susceptor of the heater 1300 may heat the aerosol-
generating
article 2000 using an induction heating method.
For example, the heater 1300 may include a tubular heating clement, a plate-
shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, or a rod-shaped
heating
element and may heat the inside or outside of the aerosol-generating article
2000
according to the shape of the heating element.
Also, a plurality of heaters 1300 may be disposed in the aerosol generation
device 1000. Here, the plurality of heaters 1300 may be disposed to be
inserted into
the aerosol-generating article 2000 or may be disposed outside the aerosol-
generating
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article 2000. Also, some of the plurality of heaters 1300 may be disposed to
be
inserted into the aerosol-generating article 2000 while the rest of the
heaters 1300 are
disposed outside the aerosol-generating article 2000. Also, the shape of the
heater
1300 is not limited to the shapes illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the heater
1300 may
be manufactured in various other shapes.
Next, the vaporizer 1400 may heat the liquid composition (that is, the liquid
aerosol-forming substrate) to generate an aerosol, and the generated aerosol
may pass
through the aerosol-generating article 2000 and be delivered to the user. For
example, the aerosol generated due to the vaporizer 1400 may move along an air
flow path of the aerosol generation device 1000, and the air flow path may be
configured to allow the aerosol generated due to the vaporizer 1400 to pass
through
the aerosol-generating article 2000 and be delivered to the user.
The vaporizer 1400 according to some embodiments may include a liquid
reservoir, a liquid delivering element, and a heating element. However, the
vaporizer 1400 is not limited thereto. The
liquid reservoir, liquid delivering
element, and heating element may also be included as independent modules in
the
aerosol generation device 1000. Hereinafter, the components of the vaporizer
1400
will be briefly described.
The liquid reservoir may store a liquid composition. For example, the liquid
composition may be a liquid including a tobacco-containing material such as a
volatile tobacco flavor component or may be a liquid including a non-tobacco
material. The liquid reservoir may be manufactured to be attachable to or
detachable from the vaporizer 1400 or may be manufactured to be integrated
with the
vaporizer 1400.
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For example, the liquid composition may include water, a solvent, ethanol, a
plant extract, a flavoring, a flavoring agent, or a vitamin mixture. The
flavoring
may include menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, or various fruit flavor
components,
but is not limited thereto. The flavoring agent may include components that
can
provide various flavors or tastes to the user. The vitamin mixture may be a
mixture
of one or more of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not
limited
thereto. Also, the liquid composition may include an aerosol former such as
glycerine and propylene glycol.
Next, the liquid delivering element may deliver the liquid composition of the
liquid reservoir to the heating element. For example, the liquid delivering
element
may be a wick such as a porous structure in which cotton fiber, ceramic fiber,
glass
fiber, a porous ceramic, and a plurality of beads are gathered, but is not
limited
thereto.
Next, the heating element is an element for heating the liquid composition
delivered by the liquid delivering element. For example, the heating element
may
be a metal heat wire, a metal heat plate, a ceramic heater, or the like, but
is not
limited thereto. Also, the heating element may be made of a conductive
filament
such as a niehrome wire and may be disposed to be wound around the liquid
delivering clement.
The heating element may be heated by current supplied thereto and may
deliver heat to the liquid composition, which is in contact with the heating
element,
to heat the liquid composition. As a result, an aerosol may be generated.
For reference, the vaporizer 1400 may also be referred to as a cartomizer, an
atomizer, or a cartridge in the art.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
As mentioned above, the aerosol generation device 1000 may further include
general-purpose components other than the battery 1100, the controller 1200,
the
heater 1300, and the vaporizer 1400. For example, the aerosol generation
device
1000 may include a display that can output visual information and/or a motor
for
output of tactile information. Also, the aerosol generation device 1000 may
include
at least one sensor. Also, the aerosol generation device 1000 may be
manufactured
to have a structure that allows entry of outside air or leakage of a gas
therein even in
a state in which the aerosol-generating article 2000 is inserted into the
aerosol.
generation device 1000.
Although not illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the aerosol generation device 1000
may also constitute a system together with a separate cradle. For example, the
cradle may be used in charging the battery 1100 of the aerosol generation
device
1000. Alternatively, the heater 1300 may be heated in a state in which the
cradle
and the aerosol generation device 1000 are coupled.
Next, the aerosol-generating article 2000 may be inserted into the aerosol
generation device 1000 and generate an aerosol when electrically heated. Here,
the
aerosol may be generated in the aerosol-generating article 2000 as outside air
enters
the aerosol generation device 1000, and the generated aerosol may be inhaled
by the
user through the oral region of the user.
Ways in which outside air enters the aerosol generation device 1000 may
vary according to an embodiment. For example, outside air may enter the
aerosol
generation device 1000 through at least one air path formed in the aerosol
generation
device 1000. Here, the opening or closing of the air path formed in the
aerosol
generation device 1000 and/or the size of the air path may be controlled by
the user.
In such a case, vapor production, tobacco smoke taste, and the like may be
controlled
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
by the user. As another example, outside air may enter the aerosol-generating
article 2000 through at least one hole formed in a surface of the aerosol-
generating
article 2000.
The aerosol-generating article 2000 may include a substrate that can form an
aerosol, and the aerosol-forming substrate may include a tobacco material.
In some embodiments, the tobacco material may include shredded tobacco
leaves. For example, the tobacco material may not include materials other than
the
shredded tobacco leaves. As another example, the tobacco material may include
both the shredded tobacco leaves and a reconstituted tobacco sheet. Since a
manufacturing cost of the shredded tobacco leaves is much cheaper than a
manufacturing cost of other tobacco materials (e.g., the reconstituted tobacco
sheet),
according to the present embodiment, the unit price of the aerosol-generating
article
2000 may be significantly reduced. The present embodiment and a detailed
structure of the aerosol-generating article 2000 will be described in more
detail
below with reference to FIG. 4 and so on.
Various types of aerosol generation devices 1000 to which the aerosol-
generating article 2000 according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure is
applicable have been described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
Hereinafter,
the aerosol-generating article 2000 which is applicable to the device 1000
will be
described.
FIGS. 4 to 7 illustrate various structures of an aerosol-generating article.
As
illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 7, a detailed structure of an aerosol-generating
article may
vary by type. Hereinafter, for convenience of understanding and clarity of the
specification, each type of aerosol-generating article will be described using
different
reference numerals.
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FIG_ 4 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating an
aerosol-generating article 100 according to a first embodiment of the present
disclosure.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the aerosol-generating article 100 may include an
aerosol-forming substrate portion 110, a filter portion 120, and a wrapper
130.
Only the components relating to the embodiment of the present disclosure are
illustrated in FIG. 4. Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art to which
the
present disclosure pertains should understand that the aerosol-generating
article 100
may further include general-purpose components other than the components
illustrated in FIG. 4. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol-generating
article
100 will be described.
The aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 may include an aerosol-forming
substrate and may be disposed upstream of the filter portion 120. The
aerosol...
forming substrate portion 110 may further include a wrapper that wraps around
the
aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 and the
filter
portion 120 may be wrapped by the wrapper 130. Although not clearly
illustrated,
the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 and the filter portion 120 may be
connected by a tipping wrapper. However, the scope of the present disclosure
is not
limited thereto.
The aerosol-forming substrate may include a tobacco material. Also, the
aerosol-forming substrate may further include materials other than the tobacco
material. For example, the aerosol-forming substrate may further include at
least
one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol,
diethylene
glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol, but is
not limited
thereto. Also, the aerosol-forming substrate may contain other additives such
as a
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Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-15
flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or organic acid. Also, a flavoring
liquid such
as menthol or a moisturizer may be added to the aerosol-forming substrate.
In some embodiments, the tobacco material may be shredded tobacco leaves.
For example, the aerosol-forming substrate may not include tobacco materials
other
than the shredded tobacco leaves. In this case, material costs can be
significantly
reduced as compared to a case in which a reconstituted tobacco sheet (e.g., a
reconstituted tobacco slurry) is utilized, and an off-taste can also be
reduced.
Specifically, the reconstituted tobacco sheet such as a reconstituted tobacco
slurry
requires a higher manufacturing cost as compared to the shredded tobacco
leaves,
and due to having inferior filling power as compared to the shredded tobacco
leaves,
the reconstituted tobacco sheet is inevitably filled at a larger amount as
compared to
the shredded tobacco leaves. Further, since supplementary materials such as
pulp
and guar gum are essentially added during manufacture of the reconstituted
tobacco
sheet, an off-taste may be generated and an inherent taste of tobacco leaves
may not
be delivered to the user during smoking. Therefore, in a case in which the
reconstituted tobacco sheet is replaced with the shredded tobacco leaves, both
the
material costs and off-taste can be reduced.
Also, in some embodiments, the tobacco material may be a mixture in which
shredded tobacco leaves and a reconstituted tobacco sheet (e.g., a
reconstituted
tobacco slurry or shredded tobacco thereof) are mixed at a suitable ratio. For
example, the tobacco material may be a mixture in which the shredded tobacco
leaves and reconstituted tobacco sheet are mixed at a weight ratio in a range
of about
6:4 to 9:1. Preferably, the weight ratio may be in a range of about 7:3 to 9:1
or
about 8:3 to 9:1. More preferably, the weight ratio may be about 8:2.
19
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
In the previous embodiments, the cutting width, content, moisture content,
and the like of shredded tobacco leaves are closely related to the vapor
production,
manufacture workability, unit price, and the like of the aerosol-generating
article 100
and thus, preferably, may be set to suitable values.
In some embodiments, the cutting width of the shredded tobacco leaves may
be in a range of about 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm. Here, the cutting width may refer to
a
width at which raw tobacco leaves are cut to manufacture shredded tobacco
leaves.
Preferably, the cutting width may be in a range of about 1.0 mm to 1.4 mm or
1.1
mm to 1.5 mm. More preferably, the cutting width may be in a range of about
1.1
mm to 1,3 mm or may be about 1.2 mm. Within such numerical ranges, a smooth
air flow path may be secured to enhance vapor production (amount of generated
aerosol), and a phenomenon in which shredded tobacco leaves stick out (so-
called
"sticking-out phenomenon) may also be reduced during the manufacturing
process.
For example, in a case in which the cutting width is set to be too small
(e.g., 0.7 mm,
0.9 mm, or the like), vapor production may be significantly reduced due to a
decrease
in the number of pores in the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110, and the
sticking-
out phenomenon may frequently occur during the article manufacturing process
due
to the shredded tobacco leaves being too thin. Also, in a case in which the
cutting
width is set to be too large (e.g., 1.5 mm or more), since the tobacco leaves
are not
cut at a uniform width, vapor production may be reduced or become non-uniform.
Refer to Experimental Examples 1-1 and 1-2 for further details of the present
embodiment.
Also, in some embodiments, the content of the shredded tobacco leaves may
be in a range of about 140 mg to 210 mg. Preferably, the content may be in a
range
of about 150 mg to 200 mg or 150 mg to 190 rug. More preferably, the content
may
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
be in a range of about 160 mg to 180 mg or 165 mg to 175 mg or may be about
170
mg. Within such numerical ranges, a smooth air flow path and a tobacco taste
may
be secured, and the cost reduction effect may also be maximized. Further, the
sticking-out phenomenon may also be reduced during the manufacturing process,
and
thus workability may be significantly improved. For example, in a case in
which
the content of shredded tobacco leaves is too high, the cost reduction effect
may be
degraded or an air flow path may be blocked such that vapor production is
reduced.
Alternatively, a problem may occur in which an excessive amount of shredded
tobacco leaves added to the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 causes
damage to
the wrapper. Conversely, in a case in which the content of shredded tobacco
leaves
is too low, a tobacco taste may be insufficient, or the inside of the aerosol-
forming
substrate portion 110 may become loose, causing the sticking-out phenomenon to
frequently occur. Refer to Experimental Examples 2-1 and 2-2 for further
details of
the present embodiment.
Also, in some embodiments, the shredded tobacco leaves may be
manufactured through a shredded tobacco manufacturing process including a
flavoring process, and a moisturizer may be added during the flavoring
process.
The content of moisturizer in an additive may be, preferably, in a range of
about 9%
(wt%) to 12% or may be, more preferably, about 10%. Also, a weight ratio of
glycerin and propylene glycol which are included in the moisturizer may be,
preferably, in a range of about 1:1 to 8:2. More preferably, the weight ratio
may be
in a range of about 3:2 to 8:2 or 2:1 to 8:2, and even more preferably. the
weight
ratio may be in a range of about 2:1 to 8:3 or may be about 7:3. Within such
numerical ranges, vapor production was confirmed to be enhanced. Refer to
Experimental Example 3 for further details.
21
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
Also, in some embodiments, the shredded tobacco leaves may be
manufactured through a shredded tobacco manufacturing process including a
first
flavoring process and a second flavoring process (e.g., refer to FIG. 9), and
a
moisturizer may be added during the second flavoring process. For example, the
moisturizer may be glycerin, but the scope of the present disclosure is not
limited
thereto. Also, the amount of added moisturizer may be in a range of about 1
wt% to
wt% of the total weight of the cut tobacco leaves (that is, shredded tobacco
leaves)
(e.g., about 1 kg to 5 kg of glycerin may be added per 100 kg of shredded
tobacco).
Preferably. the added amount may be in a range of about 2 wt% to 4 wt%, and
more
preferably, the added amount may be about 3 wt%. Within such numerical ranges,
vapor production of the aerosol-generating article 100 was confirmed to be
further
enhanced, and an off-taste was confirmed to be significantly reduced. Refer to
Experimental Examples 6-1 and 6-2 for further details.
Also, in some embodiments, the content of moisture in the shredded tobacco
leaves may he in a range of about I 1% (wt%) to IX A) of the total weight of
the
shredded tobacco leaves. Preferably, the moisture content may be in a range of
about 12% to 17% or 12% to 16%. More preferably, the moisture content may be
in a range of about 13% to 16%, 13% to 15%, or 14% to 14.5% or may be about
14%.
Within such numerical ranges, a smooth air flow path may be secured to enhance
vapor production, and the sticking-out phenomenon may also be reduced. For
example, in a case in which the moisture content in the shredded tobacco
leaves is
too high, due to a phenomenon in which the shredded tobacco leaves form a
mass, an
air flow path may be blocked and thus vapor production may be reduced. On the
other hand, in a case in which the moisture content in the shredded tobacco
leaves is
too low, the shredded tobacco leaves may easily scatter without forming a mass
and
22
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
thus the sticking-out phenomenon may frequently occur. For reference, the
moisture content in the shredded tobacco leaves may be controlled during the
shredded tobacco manufacturing process, and the moisture content in the
shredded
tobacco right after the second flavoring process may be higher than the
moisture
content in the shredded tobacco of the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110
by
about 0.1% to 1%. This is because moisture of the shredded tobacco leaves may
be
reduced during an additional process after the second flavoring process, a
manufacturing process of the aerosol-generating article 100, or a storage
period
thereof. Refer to Experimental Example 3 for further details of the present
embodiment.
Also, in some embodiments, a weight ratio of glycerin and propylene glycol
included in the shredded tobacco leaves may be in a range of about 1:1 to 9:
1, and
preferably, in a range of about 3:2 to 8:2 or about 3:2 to 7:3. Within such
numerical
ranges, vapor production was confirmed to be enhanced.
Meanwhile, in some embodiments, an adhesive may be applied on an inner
side of a wrapper around the shredded tobacco leaves. Here, the adhesive may
refer
to an arbitrary material having an adhesive function. More specifically, the
aerosol-
forming substrate portion 110 may be formed by cutting an aerosol-forming rod,
and
an adhesive may be applied on at least a portion of an inner side of a wrapper
(wrapping material) during a process of manufacturing the aerosol-forming rod.
For example, the aerosol-forming rod may be manufactured by wrapping shredded
tobacco leaves with a wrapping material, and an adhesive may be applied on an
inner
side of the wrapping material before or after wrapping the shredded tobacco
leaves
with the wrapping material. The
adhesive may prevent the sticking-out
phenomenon from occurring at an end (or both ends) of the aerosol-forming
substrate
23
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
portion 110 or the aerosol-forming rod and thus improve workability. Refer to
the
description of FIG. 8 for further details of the present embodiment.
The above-described shredded tobacco leaves may be manufactured by
processing raw tobacco leaves, and the manufacturing method will be described
in
detail below with reference to FIG. 9.
Hereinafter, the description of the
components of the aerosol-generating article 100 will be continued.
In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 or aerosol-
forming substrate may be surrounded by a heat conducting material. For
example, a
heat conducting material may be disposed at an inner side of a wrapper of the
aerosol-forming substrate portion 110. The heat conducting material may be a
metal foil such as an aluminum foil, but is not limited thereto. The heat
conducting
material may evenly distribute heat transferred to the aerosol-forming
substrate to
improve a tobacco taste. In some embodiments, the heat conducting material may
also serve as a suseeptor that is heated by an induction heating type heater.
Next, the filter portion 120 may serve as a filter for an aerosol generated in
the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110. The aerosol that has passed through
the
filter portion 120 may be inhaled by the user through the oral region of the
user.
The filter portion 120 may be connected to a downstream end portion of the
aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 and may form a downstream end of the
aerosol-generating article 100. A downstream end of the filter portion 120 may
serve as a mouthpiece (portion) that comes in contact with the user's lips.
For
example, the filter portion 120 and the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110
may
have a cylindrical shape and be aligned in the longitudinal direction, and an
upstream
end portion of the filter portion 120 may be connected to the downstream end
portion
of the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110. As mentioned above, the filter
portion
24
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
120 and the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110 may be connected by a
tipping
wrapper, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
The filter portion 120 may include a filter material. Also, the filter portion
120 may further include a filter wrapper that wraps around the filter
material. For
example, the filter material may be cellulose acetate fibers (tow), but is not
limited
thereto. The filter portion 120 may also include at least one capsule (not
illustrated).
For example, the capsule may be a spherical or cylindrical capsule in which a
flavoring liquid is wrapped by a film.
The filter portion 120 may have a single filter structure or a multi-filter
structure. The filter portion 120 may also include a cavity formed between a
plurality of filter portions. In some embodiments, a downstream end portion of
the
filter portion 120 may be manufactured as a recessed filter. In this way, a
detailed
structure of the filter portion 120 may be modified in various ways.
In some embodiments, the resistance to draw of the filter portion 120 or
mouthpiece portion may be in a range of 90 mm WG to 140 mm WG. Within such
numerical ranges, the inhaling sensation and tobacco smoke taste of the
aerosol-
generating article 100 were confirmed to be enhanced.
Next, the wrapper 130 may be a porous or nonporous wrapping material that
wraps around the components of the aerosol-generating article 100. Although
not
clearly illustrated, the wrapper 130 may correspond to a separate wrapper such
as the
wrapper of the aerosol-forming substrate portion 110, the filter wrapper of
the filter
portion 120, or the tipping wrapper or may refer to the wrapper of the aerosol-
generating article 100 that includes all the separate wrappers.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
In some embodiments, the wrapper 130 may have a thickness in a range of
about 40 um to 80 um and a porosity in a range of about 5 CU to 50 CU.
However,
the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
Meanwhile, the length, thickness, diameter, shape, or the like of the aerosol-
generating article 100 may be designed in various ways. In some embodiments,
the
aerosol-generating article 100 may have a diameter in a range of about 4 mm to
9
mm and a length in a range of about 45 mm to 50 mm. However, the scope of the
present disclosure is not limited to such examples.
The aerosol-generating article 100 according to the first embodiment of the
present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. 4.
Hereinafter,
an aerosol-generating article 200 according to a second embodiment of the
present
disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 5. Hereinafter, for
clarity of the
specification, description of contents overlapping with the previous
embodiment will
be omitted.
FIG. 5 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating the
aerosol-generating article 200.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the aerosol-generating article 200 may include an
aerosol-forming substrate portion 210, a first filter segment 220, a second
filter
segment 230, a mouthpiece portion 240, and a wrapper 260. hereinafter, each
component of the aerosol-generating article 200 will be described.
The aerosol-forming substrate portion 210 may correspond to the aerosol-
forming substrate portion 110 illustrated in FIG. 4. Thus, description thereof
will
be omitted.
Next, the first filter segment 220 may be a tubular structure including a
hollow 220H or a channel 220H formed therein. An outer diameter of the first
filter
26
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
segment 220 may be in a range of about 3 mm to 10 mm, e.g., about 7 mm. As a
diameter of the hollow 220H included in the first filter segment 220, a
suitable
diameter within a range of about 2 mm to 4.5 mm may be employed, but the
diameter is not limited thereto.
The first filter segment 220 may be manufactured using cellulose acetate.
Accordingly, in a situation in which the heater 1300 of the aerosol generation
device
1000 is inserted into the aerosol-generating article 200, a phenomenon in
which a
material inside the aerosol-forming substrate portion 210 is pushed backwards
(that
is, in a downstream direction) may be prevented (that is, the aerosol-forming
substrate portion 210 may be supported), and an aerosol cooling effect may
also be
generated. in a case in which the first filter segment 220 serves to support
the
aerosol-forming substrate portion 210, the first filter segment 220 may also
be
referred to as "support segment."
Next, the second filter segment 230 may abut the first filter segment 220 and
may be disposed between the first filter segment 220 and the mouthpiece
portion 240.
The second filter segment 230 may serve as a cooling member that cools a high-
temperature aerosol formed due to the heater 1300 heating the aerosol-forming
substrate portion 210. To emphasize the role of the second filter segment 230
as the
cooling member, the second filter segment 230 may also be referred to as
"cooling
segment." As the second filter segment 230 cools the high-temperature aerosol,
the
amount of generated aerosol may be increased, and the user may inhale the
aerosol
cooled to a suitable temperature.
In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the second filter segment 230
may also be a tubular structure including a hollow 230H or a channel 230H
foimed
therein, like the first filter segment 220. The hollow 230H may serve as a
path
27
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
through which an aerosol passes. The shape of the cross-section of the hollow
may
be polygonal or circular, but the size and shape of the hollow are not limited
thereto.
In the above-described embodiment, a diameter of the second filter segment
230 may be in a range of 7 mm to 9 mm, e.g., about 7.9 mm. Also, an inner
diameter of the second filter segment 230 may be in a range of about 3.0 mm to
5.5
mm, e.g., about 4.2 mm. Here, the inner diameter of the second filter segment
230
may be larger than an inner diameter of the first filter segment 220. For
example,
the inner diameter of the first filter segment 220 may be about 2.5 mm while
the
inner diameter of the second filter segment 230 is about 4.2 mm. Since the
inner
diameter of the first filter segment 220 and the inner diameter of the second
filter
segment 230 are different from each other, mainstream smoke flowing in the
hollow
220H of the first filter segment 220 and the hollow 230H of the second filter
segment
230 may be diffused. Since deflection of the diffused mainstream smoke in the
downstream direction of the aerosol-generating article 200 is reduced, the
area and
time of contact between the mainstream smoke and outside air, which flows into
the
second filter segment 230, may be increased, and accordingly, a mainstream
smoke
cooling effect may be improved.
The second filter segment 230 may be manufactured using a material that
allows an outside gas to enter the hollow of the second filter segment 230 or
may
include perforations. The material may be a mixture of a plurality of
materials.
For example, the material may be cellulose acetate tow, but is not limited
thereto.
In some embodiments, the second filter segment 230 may be manufactured
using an extrusion method or a fiber weaving method, The second filter segment
230 may be manufactured in various forms to increase a surface area per unit
area
(that is, a surface area that comes in contact with an aerosol).
28
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
For example, the second filter segment 230 may be manufactured by weaving
polymer fibers. In this case, a flavoring liquid may be applied on fibers made
of
polymers. Alternatively, separate fibers on which a flavoring liquid is
applied and
fibers made of polymers may be woven together to manufacture the second filter
segment 230.
For example, the second filter segment 230 may be manufactured using a
polymer material or a biodegradable polymer material. Examples of the polymer
material include gelatin, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane
(PU),
fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), and a combination thereof, but the
polymer
material is not limited thereto. Also, examples of the biodegradable polymer
material include polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydmxybutyrate (PHB), cellulose
acetate, poly-e-caprolactone (PCL), polyglycolic acid (PGA),
polyhydroxyalkanoates
(PH.As), and a starch-based thermoplastic resin, but the biodegradable polymer
material is not limited thereto.
In some embodiments, a process of wrapping an outer portion of the second
filter segment 230 with a wrapper made of paper or a polymer material may be
additionally performed. Here, examples of the polymer material may include
gelatin, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), fluorinated
ethylene propylene (FEP), and a combination thereof, but the polymer material
is not
limited thereto.
In sonic embodiments, the second filter segment 230 may be formed by
rolling a porous paper sheet. That is, a rolled porous paper sheet may be
disposed
inside the second filter segment 230 to allow an air flow (e.g., an aerosol)
to pass
along a length direction of the second filter segment 230.
29
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
Next, the mouthpiece portion 240 may form a downstream end of the aerosol-
generating article 200 and serve as a mouthpiece that finally delivers the
aerosol,
which is delivered from upstream, to the user. In some embodiments, the
mouthpiece portion 240 may be a cellulose acetate filter. Although not
illustrated,
the mouthpiece portion 240 may be manufactured as a recessed filter.
In some embodiments, the mouthpiece portion 240 may include at least one
capsule (not illustrated). For example, the capsule may be a spherical or
cylindrical
capsule in which a flavoring liquid is wrapped by a film.
Materials forming the film of the capsule may be starch and/or a gellant.
For example, gellan gum or gelatin may be used as the gellant. Also, a
gelation
auxiliary agent may be further used as a material forming the film of the
capsule.
Here, as the gelation auxiliary agent, for example, calcium chloride may be
used.
Also, a plasticizer may be further used as a material forming the film of the
capsule.
Here, as the plasticizer, glycerin and/or sorbitol may be used. Also, a
coloring
agent may be further used as a material forming the film of the capsule.
A flavoring such as menthol and essential oil of plants may be included in the
liquid filled in the capsule. In some embodiments, as a solvent of the
flavoring
included in the liquid filial in the capsule, for example, a medium chain
fatty acid
triglyceride (MCTG) may be used. The liquid may also contain other additives
such as coloring, an emulsifier, and a thickener.
In sonic embodiments, the mouthpiece portion 240 may be a transfer jet
nozzle system (TINS) filter in which a flavoring is dispersed in the filter
itself.
Alternatively, separate fibers on which a flavoring liquid is applied may be
inserted
into the mouthpiece portion 240.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
In some embodiments, the resistance to draw of the mouthpiece portion 240
may be in a range of 90 mm WG to 140 mm WG. Within such numerical ranges,
the inhaling sensation and tobacco smoke taste of the aerosol-generating
article 200
were confirmed to be enhanced.
Next, the wrapper 260 may be a porous wrapping material or nonporous
wrapping material that wraps around the components of the aerosol-generating
article 200. For example, the wrapper 260 may have a thickness in a range of
about
40 pm to 80 pm and a porosity in a range of about 5 CU to 50 CU, but the
wrapper
260 is not limited thereto. The wrapper 260 may correspond to separate
wrappers
of the aerosol-forming substrate portion 210 or filter segments 220 to 240 or
may
refer to the wrapper of the aerosol-generating article 200 that includes all
the separate
wrappers.
The aerosol-generating article 200 according to the second embodiment of
the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. 5.
Hereinafter, an aerosol-generating article 300 according to a third embodiment
of the
present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 6.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating the
aerosol-generating article 300.
Referring to FIG. 6, unlike the aerosol-generating articles 100 and 200
described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the aerosol-generating
article 300
may further include a first filter segment 350 that abuts an aerosol-forming
substrate
portion 310 upstream of the aerosol -forming substrate portion 310. To
emphasize
the positional feature, the first filter segment 350 may also be referred to
as "front-
end filter segment."
31
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
The aerosol-forming substrate portion 310 may correspond to the aerosol-
forming substrate portion 110 of FIG. 4 or the aerosol-forming substrate
portion 210
of FIG. 5, a second filter segment 320 may correspond to the first filter
segment 220
or the second filter segment 230 of FIGS, and a mouthpiece portion 340 and a
wrapper 360 may respectively correspond to the mouthpiece portion 240 and
wrapper 260 of FIG. 5. Therefore, descriptions thereof will be omitted, and
description will be continued focusing on the first filter segment 350.
The first filter segment 350 may prevent the aerosol-forming substrate
portion 310 from falling out of the aerosol-generating article 300 and may
also
prevent a liquefied aerosol from flowing from the aerosol-forming substrate
portion
310 into the aerosol generation device 1000 (see FIGS. Ito 3) during smoking.
In some embodiments, the first filter sepnent 350 may be manufactured
using cellulose acetate. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the first filter segment
350 may
also include a channel 350H that extends from an upstream end portion toward a
downstream end portion. For example, the channel 350H may he disposed at the
center of the first filter segment 350, but is not limited thereto. In a ease
in which
the first filter segment 350 includes the channel 350H, since an aerosol that
enters
through the upstream end portion of the first filter segment 350 may easily
exit
through the downstream end portion of the first filter segment 350, the user
may
easily inhale the aerosol.
Meanwhile, FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the shape of the cross-
section of the channel 350H is circular, but the shape of the cross-section of
the
channel 350H is not limited thereto. For example, the cross-section of the
channel
350H may have a multi-lobed shape such as a trilobate shape.
32
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
The length or diameter of the first filter segment 350 may be variously
determined according to the form of the aerosol-generating article 300. For
example, a suitable value within a range of 4 mm to 20 mm may be employed as
the
length of the first filter segment 350. Preferably, the length of the first
filter
segment 350 may be about 7 mm, but is not limited thereto. Also, for example,
a
suitable value within a range of 4 mm to 10 mm may be employed as the diameter
of
the first filter segment 350. Preferably, the diameter of the first filter
segment 350
may be about 7 mm, but is not limited thereto.
The aerosol-generating article 300 according to the third embodiment of the
present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. 6.
Hereinafter,
an aerosol-generating article 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the
present
disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 7.
FIG. 7 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating the
aerosol-generating article 400.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the aerosol-generating article 400 may include an
aerosol-forming substrate portion 410, a filter segment 420, a mouthpiece
portion
430, and a wrapper 440. Also, the aerosol-forming substrate portion 410 may
include a first substrate segment 411 and a second substrate segment 412.
The first substrate segment 411 may not include a tobacco material. That is,
the first substrate segment 411 may include an aerosol-forming substrate
excluding
the tobacco material. For example, the first substrate segment 411 may not
include
shredded tobacco leaves. Also, the first substrate segment 411 may include at
least
one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol,
diethylene
glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oley1 alcohol, but is
not limited
thereto. Also, the first substrate segment 411 may contain other additives
such as a
33
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-15
flavoring agent, a wetting agent (that is, a moisturizer), and/or an organic
acid.
Also, the first substrate segment 411 may contain a flavoring liquid such as
menthol
or a moisturizer.
The first substrate segment 411 may include a crimped sheet, and the aerosol-
forming substrate may be included in the first substrate segment 411 in a
state of
being impregnated in the crimped sheet. Also, the other additives such as the
flavoring agent, wetting agent, and/or organic acid and the flavoring liquid
may be
included in the first substrate segment 411 in a state of being absorbed into
the
crimped sheet.
The crimped sheet may be a sheet made of a polymer material. Examples of
the polymer material may include at least one of paper, cellulose acetate,
lyocell, and
polylactic acid. For example, the crimped sheet may be a paper sheet that does
not
cause an off-flavor due to heat even when heated at a high temperature.
However,
the crimped sheet is not limited thereto.
A suitable value within a range of 4 mm to 12 mm may be employed as a
length of the first substrate segment 411, but the length of the first
substrate segment
411 is not limited thereto.
Next, the second substrate segment 412 may include a tobacco material. For
example, the second substrate segment 412 may include shredded tobacco leaves,
a
reconstituted tobacco sheet, or a combination thereof. Also, the second
substrate
segment 412 may further include an aerosol-forming substrate such as glycerin
and
propylene glycol. Also, the second substrate segment 412 may contain other
additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or organic acid.
Also, a
flavoring liquid such as menthol or a moisturizer may be added to the second
substrate segued. 412 by being sprayed thereon.
34
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
A suitable value within a range of 6 mm to 18 mm may be employed as a
length of the second substrate segment 412, but the length of the second
substrate
segment 412 is not limited thereto.
Meanwhile, since the first substrate segment 411 includes an aerosol-forming
substrate excluding a tobacco material while the second substrate segment 412
includes an aerosol-forming substrate including a tobacco material (that is,
since the
components and content of the aerosol-forming substrates are different), for a
user to
feel a preferable smoking sensation, it is necessary to heat the first
substrate segment
411 and the second substrate segment 412 to different temperatures. For
example,
in a case in which the second substrate segment 412 is heated to a temperature
suitable for the first substrate segment 411, the user may experience a burnt
taste.
Alternatively, in a case in which the first substrate segment 411 is heated to
a
temperature suitable for the second substrate segment 412, a sufficient amount
of
aerosol may not be generated.
In some embodiment, the first substrate segment 411 and the second substrate
segment 412 may be heated to different temperatures using different heaters.
For
example, when the first substrate segment 411 is heated to A C by a first
heater to
generate a sufficient amount of aerosol and the second substrate segment 412
is
heated to B C by a second heater to heat the tobacco material included in the
second
substrate segment 412, the user may feel a preferable smoking sensation.
In some other embodiments, the first substrate segment 411 and the second
substrate segment 412 may be heated by a single heater (e.g., the heater
1300). In
this case, it is difficult to heat the first substrate segment 411 and the
second
substrate segment 412 to different temperatures.
Therefore, to allow the
temperature of the first substrate segment 411 and the temperature of the
second
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
substrate segment 412 to rise to suitable temperatures even when the first
substrate
segment 411 and the second substrate segment 412 are heated by a single
heater, at
least one of a wrapper of the first substrate segment 411 and a wrapper of the
second
substrate segment 412 may include a heat conducting material.
The first substrate segment 411 and the second substrate segment 412 may
include an aerosol-forming substrate, and the aerosol-forming substrate may
include
a moisturizer. Examples of the moisturizer may include glycerin, propylene
glycol,
or a combination thereof, but the moisturizer is not limited thereto. In a
case in
which glycerin and propylene glycol are combined to constitute a moisturizer,
a ratio
at which glycerin and propylene glycol are combined may be 8:2. However, the
combination ratio is not limited thereto.
The moisturizer included in the first substrate segment 411 may affect the
amount of generated aerosol. In other words, the overall vapor production of
the
aerosol-generating article 400 may be determined by the weight of the
moisturizer
included in the first substrate segment 411. Meanwhile, the moisturizer
included in
the second substrate segment 412 may affect a tobacco smoke taste of the
aerosol-
generating article 400. In other words, the tobacco smoke taste of the aerosol
generating article 400 may be determined by the tobacco material and
moisturizer
included in the second substrate segment 412.
For sufficient vapor production of the aerosol-generating article 400, a
sufficient amount of moisturizer should be included in the first substrate
segment 411.
Therefore, preferably, a larger amount of moisturizer may be included in the
first
substrate segment 411 as compared to the second substrate segment 412.
However,
in a case in which an excessive amount of moisturizer is included in the first
substrate segment 411, the moisturizer may flow out of the aerosol-generating
article
36
Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-15
400. This may not be preferable in terms of an exterior of the aerosol-
generating
article 400.
Meanwhile, in some embodiments, an aerosol may be formed as at least a
portion of the first substrate segment 411 and at least a portion 121 of the
second
substrate segment 412 are heated by a heater (e.g., the heater 1300). The
formed
aerosol may move along a downstream portion of the aerosol-generating article
400
and be finally delivered to the user. Here, a downstream portion of the second
substrate segment 412 may not be heated by the heater, and in this case, there
may be
an effect of filtering some materials of the aerosol as the aerosol passes
through the
downstream portion. Here, "filtering" may not only refer to a case in which
some
components included in an aerosol are filtered, but also refer to a case in
which other
components are added into the aerosol. That is, the unheated portion of the
second
substrate segment 412 may cause a change in components of an aerosol. For
example, as an aerosol passes through the unheated portion, some components in
the
aerosol may be filtered, or some components included in the unheated portion
may
be added into the aerosol. Therefore, components of the aerosol discharged to
the
outside of the aerosol-generating article 400 may be different from components
of
the initially-generated aerosol, and thus the user may feel a different
smoking
sensation as compared to when the entire second substrate segment 412 is
heated.
Next, the filter segment 420 may generate an aerosol cooling effect.
Therefore, the user may inhale the aerosol cooled to a suitable temperature.
For
example, the filter segment 420 may be manufactured using cellulose acetate
and
may be a tubular structure including a hollow 420H formed therein. For
example,
the filter segment 420 may be manufactured by adding a plasticizer (e.g.,
triacetin) to
cellulose acetate tow. For example, the filter segment 420 may have 5.0 mono
37
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
denier and 28,000 total denier, but is not limited thereto. As another
example, the
filter segment 420 may be manufactured using paper and may be a tubular
structure
including a hollow 420H formed therein.
A suitable value within a range of 4 mm to 8 mm may be employed as a
diameter of the hollow included in the filter segment 420, but the diameter of
the
hollow is not limited thereto. A suitable value within a range of 4 mm to 30
mm
may be employed as length of the filter segment 420, but the length of the
filter
segment 420 is not limited thereto.
The filter segment 420 is not limited to the above examples, and any other
filter segment may be used without limitation as long as the filter segment
can
perform an aerosol cooling function. The filter segment 420 may also be
referred to
as a cooling segment 420. Also, the filter segment 420 may correspond to the
second filter segment 230 of FIG. 5.
Next, the mouthpiece portion 430 may he manufactured by adding a
plastici7er (e.g., triacetin) to cellulose acetate tow. For example, the
mouthpiece
portion 430 may have 9.0 mono denier and 25,000 total denier, but is not
limited
thereto. A suitable value within a range of 4 mm to 30 mm may be employed as a
length of the mouthpiece portion 430, but the length of the mouthpiece portion
430 is
not limited thereto.
The mouthpiece portion 430 and the wrapper 440 may respectively
correspond to the mouthpiece portions 120, 240, and 340 and the wrappers 130,
260,
and 360 of the previous embodiments. Thus, further descriptions thereof will
be
omitted.
The aerosol-generating article 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the
present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. 7.
Hereinafter,
38
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
methods of manufacturing the above-described aerosol-generating articles 100
to 400
and shredded tobacco leaves will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.
In
the following description, an aerosol-forming substrate portion, a filter
portion, and a
mouthpiece portion may respectively correspond to the aerosol-forming
substrate
portion 110, 210, 310, or 410, the filter portion 120, and the mouthpiece
portion 120,
240, 340, or 430. However, for convenience of description, the reference
numerals
will be omitted. The filter portion may also correspond to the filter segments
220,
230, 320, 350, and 420.
FIG. 8 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an
aerosol-generating article according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure.
However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the objectives of
the
present disclosure, and, of course, some steps may be added or deleted as
necessary.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the manufacturing method may start with
manufacturing shredded tobacco leaves (S20). This step will be described in
detail
below with reference to FIG. 9.
In step S40, the manufactured shredded tobacco leaves may be used to
manufacture an aerosol-forming substrate portion. Specifically, an aerosol-
forming
rod, which is manufactured by wrapping an aerosol-forming substrate including
shredded tobacco leaves with a wrapping material (that is, a wrapper), may be
cut
into pieces of a predetermined length to form a plurality of aerosol-forming
substrate
portions. For example, six aerosol-forming substrate portions may be formed by
cutting the aerosol-forming rod.
In some embodiments, shredded tobacco leaves may be wrapped with a
wrapping material, in which an adhesive is applied on at least a portion of an
inner
surface, to manufacture an aerosol-funning rod. The adhesive may prevent the
39
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
shredded tobacco leaves from sticking out during the manufacturing process and
thus
improve workability. For example, when cutting the aerosol-forming rod, the
shredded tobacco leaves may be prevented from sticking out from cut portions.
Alternatively, when combining the aerosol-forming substrate portion and the
filter
portion, the shredded tobacco leaves may be prevented from sticking out from
an
upstream end of the aerosol-forming substrate portion.
Meanwhile, since the content of shredded tobacco leaves included in the
aerosol-forming substrate portion is closely related to manufacturing costs
and a
tobacco taste, appropriately controlling the content of shredded tobacco
leaves may
be important.
In some embodiments, the content of shredded tobacco leaves may be in a
range of about 140 mg to 210 mg. Preferably, the content may be in a range of
about 150 mg to 200 mg or 150 mg to 190 mg. More preferably, the content may
be in a range of about 160 mg to 180 mg or 165 mg to 175 mg or may be about
170
nig. Within such numerical ranges, a smooth air flow path and a tobacco taste
may
be secured, and the cost reduction effect may also be maximized. Further, the
sticking-out phenomenon may also be reduced during the manufacturing process.
Refer to Experimental Examples 2-1 and 2-2 for further details.
In step S60, the filter portion may be manufactured. Specifically, a filter
rod,
which is manufactured by wrapping a filter material with a filter wrapping
material,
may be cut into pieces of a predetermined length to manufacture a plurality of
filter
portions.
Step S60 may be performed independently from Step S20 and Step S40,
In Step S80, the aerosol-forming substrate portion and the filter portion may
be combined to manufacture an aerosol-generating article. For example, the
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
aerosol-forming substrate portion and the filter portion may be connected
using a
tipping wrapper to manufacture an aerosol-generating article.
As a more specific example, in the case of the aerosol-generating article 300
illustrated in FIG. 6, the first filter segment 350, the second filter segment
320, and
the mouthpiece portion 340 may be connected to the aerosol-forming substrate
portion 310 to manufacture the aerosol-generating article 300.
Meanwhile, Step S20 or Steps S40 to S80 may be performed using automated
manufacturing equipment. Since those of ordinary skill in the art should be
sufficiently familiar with such manufacturing equipment, description thereof
will be
omitted.
Hereinafter, the manufacturing of the shredded tobacco leaves (S20) will be
described in detail with reference to FIG. 9.
FIG. 9 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a detailed process of the
manufacturing of the shredded tobacco leaves (S20). However, the detailed
process
of step S20 illustrated in FIG. 9 is only a schematic process provided for
convenience
of understanding. Thus, it should be noted that some steps may be added,
deleted
(omitted), or modified according to various factors, and a sequence of the
steps may
also vary.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, in step S21, raw tobacco leaves may be processed.
For example, processing such as threshing, slicing, drying, and conditioning
may be
performed on tobacco leaves such as bright tobacco leaves, oriental tobacco
leaves,
and burley tobacco leaves.
In step S23, a first flavoring process may be performed on the processed
tobacco leaves. The first flavoring process may refer to a process of adding a
flavoring to improve inherent physicochemical properties of the tobacco leaves
and
41
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
to eliminate an off-taste _ For example, in this step, an additive including a
flavoring
may be uniformly sprayed onto the processed tobacco leaves. Here, for example,
the additive may include a moisturizer. Also, for example, the moisturizer may
include glycerin and propylene glycol.
In some embodiments, the content of the moisturizer in the additive may be,
preferably, in a range of about 9% (wt%) to 12% or may be, more preferably,
about
10%.
Also, in some embodiments, a weight ratio of glycerin and propylene glycol,
which are included in the moisturizer, may he in a range of about I:1 to 8:2.
Preferably, the weight ratio may be in a range of about 3:2 to 8:2 or 2:1 to
8:2, and
more preferably, the weight ratio may be in a range of about 2:1 to 8:3 or may
be
about 7:3. Within such numerical ranges, vapor production was confirmed to be
enhanced. Refer to Experimental Example 3 for further details.
In step S25, the firstly-flavored tobacco leaves may be mixed. For example,
for flavor balance or moisture balance, the firstly-flavored tobacco leaves
may be
mixed in silo equipment.
In step S27, the mixed tobacco leaves may be cut according to a
predetermined cutting width. For
example, the tobacco leaves may be cut
according to a predetermined cutting width through a cutter including one or
more
cutting knives. Here, the form, cutting width, and the like of the cutting
knives may
vary according to an embodiment.
In some embodiments, a cutting blade of the cutting knife may be formed in
the shape of a quadrilateral saw blade. For example, FIG. 10 illustrates a
process of
cutting tobacco leaves 510 through a rotary cutter 520 including a plurality
of cutting
knives 521. As illustrated, a cutting blade of the cutting knife 521 may be
funned
42
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
in the shape of a quadrilateral saw blade instead of being formed in a linear
shape.
In this case, the tobacco leaves may be cut to a uniform length, and a case in
which
the shredded tobacco leaves have a length longer than a predetermined cutting
width
may be effectively prevented. However, in some other embodiments, a cutting
blade of a cutting knife may be formed in a linear shape.
In some embodiments, the cutting width of the tobacco leaves may be in a
range of about 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm. Preferably, the cutting width may be in a
range
of about 1.0 mm to 1.4 mm or 1.1 mm to 1.5 mm. More preferably, the cutting
width may be in a range of about 1.1 mm to 1.3 mm or may be about 1.2 mm. It
was confirmed that, within such numerical ranges, a smooth air flow path may
be
secured to enhance vapor production (amount of generated aerosol), and the
sticking-
out phenomenon may also be reduced. Refer to Experimental Examples 1-1 and 1-
2 for further details.
In some embodiments, after step S27, processes such as drying and cooling
may he further performed.
In step S29, a second flavoring process may be performed on the cut tobacco
leaves, and as a result, shredded tobacco leaves to be included in an aerosol-
forming
rod may be formed. Here, the second flavoring process is a -flavoring process
performed after the first flavoring process and may be performed to impart a
flavor
to the final tobacco product (e.g., aerosol-generating article). For example,
the
second flavoring process may be performed by adding an additive including a
flavoring to the cut tobacco leaves.
In some embodiments, the content of moisture in the shredded tobacco leaves
after the second flavoring process may be in a range of about 11.5% to 17.5%
of the
total weight of the shredded tobacco leaves. Preferably, the moisture content
may
43
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
be in a range of about 12% to 17% or 12% to 16%. More preferably, the moisture
content may be in a range of about 13% to 16%, or even more preferably, the
moisture content may be in a range of about 14% to 15% or may be about 14.5%.
It
was confirmed that, within such numerical ranges, a smooth air flow path is
secured
and vapor production is enhanced. Refer to Experimental Example 3 for further
details.
In some embodiments, a moisturizer (e.g., glycerin) may be added to the cut
tobacco leaves during the second flavoring process, and the amount of added
moisturizer may be in a range of about 1 wt% to 5 wt% of the total weight of
the cut
tobacco leaves (that is, shredded tobacco leaves) (e.g., about 1 kg to 5 kg of
glycerin
may be added per 100 kg of shredded tobacco). Preferably, the added amount may
be in a range of about 2 wt% to 4 wt%, and more preferably, the added amount
may
be about 3 wt%. It was confirmed that, within such numerical ranges, vapor
production of the aerosol-generating article is further enhanced and an off-
taste is
significantly reduced. Refer to Experimental Examples 6-1 and 6-2 for further
details.
The methods of manufacturing the aerosol-generating article and shredded
tobacco leaves have been described above with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.
Hereinafter, the configurations mentioned herein and the advantageous effects
according thereto will be described in more detail using examples and
comparative
examples. However, the following examples are only some of various examples of
the present disclosure, and thus the scope of the present disclosure is not
limited by
the examples.
Comparative Example 1
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
A heating-type aerosol-generating article (that is, a cigarette) having the
same
structure as the aerosol-generating article 300 illustrated in FIG. 6 was
manufactured.
Specifically, about 270 mg of a reconstituted tobacco slurry was added to
manufacture an aerosol-forming substrate portion, and glycerin was added at
content
of about 10% during manufacture of the reconstituted tobacco slurry. For
reference, commercially available aerosol-generating articles also include
about 270
mg of shredded reconstituted tobacco slurry, and glycerin is added at content
of
about 10% during manufacture of the shredded reconstituted tobacco slurry.
Examples I to 5
Aerosol-generating articles according to Examples 1 to 5 (which have the
same physical specifications as the aerosol-generating article of Comparative
Example 1) were manufactured using shredded tobacco leaves instead of using a
reconstituted tobacco slurry. In particular, a cutter was set according to
numerical
values listed in Table 1 below, and shredded tobacco leaves having different
cutting
widths were manufactured. During manufacture of the shredded tobacco leaves, a
moisturizer (which contained glycerin and propylene glycol at a ratio of 7:3)
was
added at content of about 10%, and the content of moisture in the shredded
tobacco
leaves after a second flavoring process was controlled to be about 14.5%.
Also,
about 170 mg of the cut shredded tobacco leaves was added and a mouthpiece-
side
filter (e.g., the mouthpiece portion 340 of FIG. 6), whose resistance to draw
was in a
range of about 90 mm WG to 140 mm WG, was used to manufacture the aerosol-
generating articles according to Examples I to 5.
[Table I
Classification Cutting width (mm)
Example 1 0.7 mm
Example 2 0.9 mm
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
Example 3 L2 mm
Example 4 1.5 mm
Example 5 1.8 mm
Experimental Example 1-1: Evaluation of vapor production according to
cutting width
Sensory evaluation relating to vapor production was performed for the
aerosol-generating articles according to Comparative Example 1 and Examples 1
to 5.
The sensory evaluation was carried out by a panel of thirty evaluators who
have
smoked for five years or more, and a score was given to vapor production based
on a
scale of I to 5. Also, to reduce an evaluation error, the average of the
scores given
by the panel, excluding the lowest and highest scores, was calculated as the
final
vapor production score of the corresponding aerosol-generating article. The
results
of the sensory evaluation relating to vapor production are illustrated in FIG.
11.
Referring to FIG. 11, vapor production was found to be the highest in the
case in which the cutting width was 1.2 mm (e.g., Example 3). In particular,
the
vapor production in Example 3 was found to be higher than vapor production in
Comparative Example 1 in which reconstituted tobacco leaves were added. Also,
it
was found that vapor production generally decreased with a decrease in the
cutting
width (e.g., Examples 1 and 2), and this reduction is determined to be due to
the
number of pores in the aerosol-forming substrate portion being reduced and a
smooth
air flow path being more difficult to secure as the cutting width decreases.
Also, it
was found that vapor production decreased even when the cutting width was
increased to a predetermined value or more (e.g., Examples 4 and 5). This
reduction is determined to be due to the shredded tobacco leaves not being
uniformly
cut, thus causing pores (e.g., the size and distribution of pores) to be non-
uniform,
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
and non-uniformity of vapor production negatively affecting the panel's
evaluation
of vapor production in the case in which the cutting width is set to a
predetermined
value or more (e.g., 1.5 mm or more).
According to the evaluation results, it can be seen that it is preferable to
set
the cutting width of the shredded tobacco leaves to be 0.9 mm or more and 1.5
mm
or less in order to ensure vapor production that a user will be satisfied
with.
Experimental Example 1-2: Evaluation of degree of sticking-out
according to cutting width
A degree at which the shredded tobacco leaves stick out during manufacture
of the aerosol-generating articles according to Examples I to 5 was measured.
Also,
to identify an effect of an adhesive, an additional experiment in which an
adhesive
was applied on a wrapping material and the degree of sticking-out was measured
was
conducted during manufacture of the aerosol-generating articles according to
Examples 2 to 4. The experimental results are shown in Table 2 below. For
reference, in Table 2 below, the measurement unit of the degree of sticking-
out
(rng/cm2) refers to dividing a weight of shredded tobacco leaves that fall out
due to
the sticking-out phenomenon by a cross-sectional area of the aerosol-
generating
article.
[Table 2]
Classification Sticking-out (mg/cm2)
Example 1 45.9
Example 2 35.9
Example 3 V 23.1
Example 4 19.2
Example 5 15.2
Example 2+Adhesive 27.3
Example 3+Adhesive 11.8
Example 4+Adhesive 10.1
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Date Recue/Date Received 202 1-1 1-15
Referring to Table 2, it was found that the degree of sticking-out decreased
with an increase in the cutting width of the shredded tobacco leaves. This
reduction
is determined to be due to the shredded tobacco leaves being easier to stick
out as the
shredded tobacco leaves are thinner (that is, the cutting width is smaller)
and being
harder to stick out as the shredded tobacco leaves are thicker. In this way,
it can be
seen that it is preferable to set the cutting width of the shredded tobacco
leaves to be
0.9 mm or more in order to improve workability.
Also, the degree of sticking-out was found to be significantly reduced when
an adhesive was applied on the wrapping material, and this indicates that
workability
can be significantly improved when the adhesive is applied.
Examples 6 to 9
As shown in Table 3 below, aerosol-generating articles according to
Examples 6 to 9 were manufactured by varying the content of shredded tobacco
leaves. The shredded tobacco leaves of Examples 6 to 9 were manufactured in
the
same way as in Example 3.
[Table 3]
Classification Content of shredded tobacco (mg)
Example 3 170 mg
Example 6 130 mg
Example 7 150 mg
Example 8 190 mg
Example 9 210 mg
Experimental Example 2-1: Evaluation of vapor production and off-taste
(inherent tobacco taste) according to content of shredded tobacco
Sensory evaluation relating to vapor production and off-taste according to the
content of shredded tobacco leaves was performed for the aerosol-generating
articles
according to Example 3 and Examples 6 to 9. An evaluation method was the same
48
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
as in Experimental Example 1-1 described above, and the evaluation results are
illustrated in HG. 12.
Referring to FIG. 12, an inherent tobacco taste was found to be generally
better in the aerosol-generating articles according to the examples as
compared to the
aerosol-generating article according to Comparative Example I. This indicates
that
an off-taste is reduced and an inherent tobacco taste is enhanced in a case in
which
shredded tobacco leaves are applied instead of reconstituted tobacco leaves.
However, vapor production was found to be reduced when the content of
shredded tobacco leaves was about 190 mg or more (e.g.. Examples 8 and 9).
This
is determined to be due to an air flow path being blocked when an excessive
amount
of shredded tobacco leaves is added.
Also, an off-taste reduction effect was also found to be reduced when the
content of shredded tobacco leaves was a predetermined value or more (e.g.,
Examples 8 and 9). This reduction is determined to be due to an air flow path
not
being smooth such that, even when the amount of shredded tobacco is large, an
inherent taste and flavor of tobacco leaves are not expressed well. In this
way, it
can be seen that setting the content of shredded tobacco leaves within a range
of
about 150 mg to 190 mg is effective. For reference, the content in the range
of
about 150 mg to 190 mg is significantly lower than the content of
reconstituted
tobacco leaves (e.g., 270 mg) in commercially available aerosol-generating
articles
and thus may be fairly effective also in terms of cost reduction.
Experimental Example 2-2: Evaluation of degree of sticking-out
according to content of shredded tobacco
A degree at which the shredded tobacco leaves stick out during manufacture
of the aerosol-generating articles according to Examples 6 to 9 was measured.
Also,
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
to identify an effect of an adhesive, an additional experiment in which an
adhesive
was applied on a wrapping material and the degree of sticking-out was measured
was
conducted during manufacture of the aerosol-generating articles according to
Examples 3, 7, and 8. The experimental results are shown in Table 4 below.
[Table 4]
Classification Sticking-out (mg/cm2)
Example 3 23.1
Example 6 29.3
Example 7 19.1
Example 8 17.2
Example 9 14.1
Ex ample 34-Adhesive 11.8
Example 71-Adhesive 10,2
Example 8+Adhesive 9.1
Referring to Table 4, it was found that the, degree of sticking-out tended to
reduce with an increase in the content of the shredded tobacco leaves. This
reduction is determined to be due to the shredded tobacco leaves forming a
dense
mass inside an aerosol-forming rod and being difficult to stick out as the
content of
shredded tobacco leaves increases. In this way, it can be seen that it is
preferable to
set the content of the shredded tobacco leaves to be about 150 mg or more in
order to
improve workability.
Also, the degree of sticking-out was found to be significantly reduced when
an adhesive was applied on the wrapping material, and this indicates that
workability
can be significantly improved when the adhesive is applied.
Examples 10 to 12
As shown in Table 5 below, aerosol-generating articles according to
Examples 10 to 12 were manufactured by varying a composition ratio of glycerin
(Gly.) and propylene glycol (PG) when adding a moisturizer (at content of 10%)
in
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
the first flavoring process of the shredded tobacco leaves. Other conditions
such as
the content of the shredded tobacco leaves were the same as in Example 3.
[Table 51
First flavoring.
Classification
Giy. PG
Example 3 7 3
Example 10 3 7
Example 11 5 5
Example 12 8 2
Experimental Example 3: Evaluation of vapor production according to
Gly. to PG ratio
Sensory evaluation relating to vapor production according to a composition
ratio of glycerin and propylene glycol was performed for the aerosol-
generating
articles according to Example 3 and Examples 10 to 12. Also, comparison with
Comparative Example I was performed. An evaluation method was the same as in
Experimental Example 1-1 described above, and the evaluation results are
illustrated
in FIG. 13.
Referring to FIG. 13, it was found that vapor production tended to generally
increase with an increase in the proportion of glycerin, and it was found that
vapor
production was even higher as compared to Comparative Example 1 in a case in
which glycerin and propylene glycol were added at a ratio of 7:3 (e.g.,
Example 3).
The above results are determined to be due to an increase in the glycerin
content
positively affecting vapor production.
In a case in which the proportion of glycerin exceeded about 70% of the
moisturizer (e.g., Example 12), it was found that vapor production slightly
decreased
and reached a value close to vapor production in Comparative Example 1.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
Meanwhile, the proportion of glycerin was also confirmed to be related to
workability. It was found that, in a case in which the proportion of glycerin
was
high (e.g., higher than in Example 12), the shredded tobacco leaves formed a
mass
and workability somewhat decreased, and even in a case in which the proportion
of
glycerin was too low (e.g., Example 10), workability decreased due to the
sticking-
out phenomenon of shredded tobacco.
According to such experimental results, it can be seen that it is preferable
to
set the composition ratio of glycerin and propylene glycol to be in a range of
about
1:1 to 8:2 in order to simultaneously improve vapor production and
workability.
Examples 13 to 16
As shown in Table 6 below, aerosol-generating articles according to
Examples 13 to 16 were manufactured by varying the content of moisture in the
shredded tobacco leaves. The moisture content in Table 6 below indicates the
moisture content right after the second flavoring process, and thus the actual
moisture content in shredded tobacco in the aerosol-generating articles may be
slightly lower than values listed in Table 6. Other conditions such as the
content of
the shredded tobacco leaves were the same as in Example 3.
[Table 6]
Moisture content right after second
Classification
flavoring (wr/o)
Example 3 14.5
Example 13 11.5
Example 14 13
Example 15 16
Example 1 6 17.5
Experimental Example 4: Evaluation of vapor production according to
moisture content in shredded tobacco
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
Sensory evaluation relating to vapor production according to the moisture
content in shredded tobacco leaves was performed for the aerosol-generating
articles
according to Example 3 and Examples 13 to 16. Also, comparison with
Comparative Example 1 was performed. An evaluation method was the same as in
Experimental Example 1-1 described above, and the evaluation results are
illustrated
in FIG. 14.
Referring to FIG. 14, it was found that vapor production generally increased
with an increase in the moisture content in the shredded tobacco leaves, and
it was
found that vapor production was even higher as compared to Comparative Example
I
in a case in which the moisture content was 14.5% (e.g., Example 3). The above
results are determined to be due to an increase in the moisture content in the
shredded tobacco leaves positively affecting vapor production.
However, it was found that vapor production decreased again in a case in
which the moisture content in the shredded tobacco leaves exceeded about 16%
(e.g.,
Example 16). This reduction is determined to he due to the shredded tobacco
leaves
being able to more easily form a mass and negatively affect an air flow path
as the
moisture content is higher.
Meanwhile, the moisture content in the shredded tobacco leaves was also
confirmed to be related to workability. It was found that, in a case in which
the
moisture content was high (e.g., Example 16), the shredded tobacco leaves
formed a
mass and workability somewhat decreased, and even in a case in which the
moisture
content was too low (e.g., Example 13), workability somewhat decreased due to
the
sticking-out phenomenon of shredded tobacco.
According to such experimental results, it can be seen that it is preferable
to
set the moisture content in the shredded tobacco leaves (right after the
second
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
flavoring process) to be in a range of about 12% to 17% in order to
simultaneously
improve vapor production and workability.
Experimental Example 5-1: Comprehensive sensory evaluation for
Example 3 and Comparative Example 1
Comprehensive sensory evaluation was performed for the aerosol-generating
articles according to Example 3 and Comparative Example I. Sensory evaluation
was performed for vapor production, tobacco smoke taste intensity, irritation,
inhaling sensation, and off-taste (inherent tobacco taste) as evaluation
items, and an
evaluation method was the same as in Experimental Example 1-1 described above.
The evaluation results relating to this experimental example are illustrated
in FIG. 15.
Referring to FIG. 15, the aerosol-generating article according to Example 3
was found to be superior to Comparative Example I in terms of vapor
production,
inhaling sensation, and off-taste as. This is determined to be due to securing
a
smooth air flow path by adding shredded tobacco leaves having a suitable
cutting
width at suitable content and appropriately controlling the moisture content
in the
shredded tobacco leaves and the composition ratio of the moisturizer. It is
determined that the inhaling sensation would have also been affected by low
resistance to draw of a mouthpiece-side filter.
Meanwhile, the aerosol-generating article according to Comparative Example
I was found to be superior to Example 3 in terms of tobacco smoke taste
intensity
and irritation_ This is determined to be a phenomenon that occurred due to a
somewhat low proportion of propylene glycol added to the shredded tobacco
leaves.
Overall, it can be confirmed that the aerosol-generating article according to
Example 3 is superior as compared to Comparative Example I. In this way, it
can
be seen that aerosol-generating articles based on shredded tobacco leaves can
54
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
sufficiently replace articles based on shredded reconstituted tobacco leaves.
Further,
since the aerosol-generating article according to Example 3 also has higher
price
competitiveness than the article based on shredded reconstituted tobacco
leaves (e.g.,
Comparative Example 1), it can be seen that the aerosol-generating article
according
to Example 3 also has sufficient market competitiveness.
Experimental Example 5-2: Aerosol component analysis for Example 3
and Comparative Example 1
For more objective and quantitative evaluation, aerosol component analysis
was performed for the aerosol-generating articles according to Example 3 and
Comparative Example 1. Specifically, smoke components of mainstream smoke
were analyzed during smoking of aerosol-generating articles manufactured two
weeks beforehand. The smoke for component analysis was repeatedly collected
four times for each sample, based on eight puffs per time. The component
analysis
results were derived on the basis of the average values of three collection
results.
Also, smoking was performed according to Health Canada (11C) smoking
conditions
using a non-burning type automatic smoking device in a smoking room with a
temperature of about 20 C and humidity of about 62.5%. The component analysis
results according to this experimental example are shown in Table 7 below.
[Table 71
Components of aerosol (mg/cig)
Classification
IPM Tar N ic PG lily. Moisture
Comparative
45.8 22.6 0.79 4.7 7.9 22.4
Example 1
Example 3 41.4 , /2.2 0.77 , 4.0 8.3
, 23.3
Referring to Table 7, it can be seen that migration amounts of nicotine and
tar
of the aerosol-generating article according to Example 3 are almost the same
as in
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
Comparative Example I. This indicates that, even when shredded tobacco leaves
are applied to a heating-type aerosol-generating article, a user may
experience a
similar tobacco smoke taste as when using an article based on reconstituted
tobacco
leaves. Of course, in view of the sensory evaluation, since shredded tobacco
leaves
can further reduce an off-taste as compared to reconstituted tobacco leaves,
it is
determined that the actual tobacco smoke taste experienced by a user would be
better
when using an article based on shredded tobacco leaves (e.g., Example 3) than
when
using an article based on reconstituted tobacco leaves (e.g., Comparative
Example 1).
Also, glycerin and moisture were found to be slightly increased, which is
determined as showing that vapor production increased. Also, propylene glycol
was found to be slightly decreased, which is determined as showing that the
tobacco
smoke taste intensity and irritation of the aerosol-generating article
according to
Example 3 were somewhat lower as compared to Comparative Example 1.
For reference, an aerosol-generating article was manufactured with the same
conditions as in Example 3 except for adding shredded tobacco leaves and a
shredded reconstituted tobacco slurry which were mixed at a ratio of about
8:2,
sensory evaluation and aerosol component analysis were performed for the
manufactured aerosol-generating article, and the experimental results were
confirmed
to be similar as in Example 3.
Examples 17 to 21
As shown in Table 8 below, shredded tobacco leaves were manufactured by
varying the amount of added glycerin during the second flavoring, and aerosol-
generating articles according to Examples 17 to 21 were manufactured using the
manufactured shredded tobacco leaves. Other conditions such as the content of
the
shredded tobacco leaves were the same as in Example 3. For reference, in the
case
56
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
of the shredded tobacco leaves of Example 3, glycerin was not added during the
second flavoring.
[Table 81
Amount of added glycerin with respect
Classification to total
weight of shredded tobacco
leaves during second flavoring (wt%)
Example 17 1%
Example 18 2%
Example 19 3%
Example 20 4%
Example 21 5%
Experimental Example 6-1: Comprehensive sensory evaluation for
Examples 17 to 21 and Comparative Example 1
Comprehensive sensory evaluation was performed for the aerosol-generating
articles according to Examples 17 to 21. Sensory evaluation was performed for
vapor production, tobacco smoke taste intensity, irritation, inhaling
sensation, and
off-taste (inherent tobacco taste) as evaluation items, and an evaluation
method was
the same as in Experimental Example 1-1 described above. The evaluation
results
relating to this experimental example are shown in Table 9 below.
[Table 9]
Tobacco r
Vapor smoke Inhaling
Classification Irritation Off-
taste
production taste sensation
intensity
Example 17 4.4 3.4 3.4 4.2 3.5
Example 18 4.5 3.4 3.2 4.2 3.4
Example 19 4.7 3.3 3.2 4.3 3.1
Exam&_20 4.7 3.3 3.2 4.1 3.3
Exam_ple 21 4.7 3.3 3.-4.13.3
_L
Comparative
4.2 3.5 3.7 3.9 3.5
Example 1
57
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
Referring to Table 9, the aerosol-generating articles according to the
examples were found to be superior to Comparative Example 1 in terms of vapor
production, inhaling sensation, and off-taste reduction. This indicates that,
in a case
in which a suitable amount of moisturizer is added during the second
flavoring,
vapor production may be further enhanced and higher-quality shredded tobacco
leaves (e.g., shredded tobacco with a reduced off-taste and a rich inherent
tobacco
taste) may be manufactured. However, it is determined that the inhaling
sensation
would have also been affected by low resistance to draw of a mouthpiece-side
filter.
Also, among the examples, the aerosol-generating article according to
Example 19 was found to have generally excellent evaluation scores. For
example,
the aerosol-generating article according to Example 19 was found to have
higher
vapor production and less off-taste as compared to other examples. In this
way, it
can be seen that adding a moisturizer at around 3% during the second flavoring
is
preferable.
Summing up the sensory evaluation results, it can he confirmed that the
aerosol-generating articles according to the examples are generally superior
to
Comparative Example I. In this way, it can be seen that aerosol-generating
articles
based on shredded tobacco leaves can sufficiently replace articles based on
shredded
reconstituted tobacco leaves.
Experimental Example 6-2: Aerosol component analysis for Example 3,
Example 19, and Comparative Example 1
For more objective and quantitative evaluation, aerosol component analysis
was performed for the aerosol-generating articles according to Example 3,
Example
19, and Comparative Example I. A method of analysis was the same as in
58
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
Experimental Example 5-2 described above. The component analysis results
according to this experimental example are shown in Table 10 below.
[Table 101
Components of aerosol (m. g/cig).
Classification
TPM Tar Nic PG Gly. Moisture ,
Comparative
45.8 22.6 0.79 4.7 7.9 22.4
Example 1
Example 3 41.4 22.2 0.77 4.0 8.3 23.3
Example 19 45.3 25.4 0.46 3.7 12.6 24.3
Referring to Table 10, it was found that the glycerin component sharply
increased in the case of the aerosol-generating article according to Example
19 as
compared to Comparative Example I and Example 3. This indicates that vapor
production may be further enhanced when a moisturizer is appropriately added
during the second flavoring. Meanwhile, the nicotine and propylene glycol
components were found to be slightly reduced as compared to Comparative
Example
I and Example 3. This is determined as showing that the tobacco smoke taste
intensity and irritation of the aerosol-generating article according to
Example 19
were slightly lower as compared to Comparative Example 1 or Example 3.
The configurations of the aerosol-generating articles manufactured using
shredded tobacco leaves and the advantageous effects according thereto have
been
described in detail using various examples and a comparative example.
The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with
reference to the accompanying drawings, but those of ordinary skill in the art
to
which the present disclosure pertains should understand that the present
disclosure
may be carried out in other specific forms without changing the technical
spirit or
essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments descrihed above should
he
understood as being illustrative, instead of limiting, in all aspects. The
scope of the
59
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and any
technical spirit
within the scope equivalent to the claims should be interpreted as falling
within the
scope of the technical spirit defined by the present disclosure.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-15
